In the 8th Sphere of Paradiso, Dante suddenly arrives in the Constellation of his Birth, the Gemini. From there we can look back all the way down to Earth, and on the seven spheres that Beatrice has helped “put beneath his feet” already. From the Moon, to the Sun, Mercury and Venus, to temperate Jupiter between hot Mars and contemplative Saturn.
At this point the Pilgrim has finally reached the strength to look directly at the Sun, and now the final part of the Journey – is about to begin.